When Hell goes to war with itself, only the devil is declared the winner

DC comics has brought together two of my favorite things; Batman and post-apocalyptic fiction. I almost feel as if this series has been made for me.

So, here’s the deal. A massive earthquake has rocked Gotham City to its core – combine that with an outbreak of a deadly disease not unlike the Ebola virus and you have a recipe for disaster. Rather than send aid or attempt to rebuild Gotham, the government has sealed it off from the rest of the civilized world, proclaiming it no longer part of the United States.

Those that wanted to leave were initially given the choice; however, the gangs, the sick and the released criminals from Arkham Asylum decided to hang around. Also staying put are several dedicated members of the GCPD; an effort to bring order to the once powerful city.

Watching Gordon struggle over how to enforce the law really grabbed me. Not only is he dealing with anarchy on a massive scale, he’s realizing that he has no one to tell him the “right” and the “wrong” way of doing things. Suddenly, he’s in the shoes of the Batman. Gordon knows that he needs to implore drastic measures to restore order to Gotham; he just has to realize his own limits.

I’ve always liked Scarecrow, I just didn’t realize how much until 2005’s Batman Begins. In No Man’s Land, 6 years before the release of Begins, Scarecrow is given a pretty prominent role. Rarely using his fear induced chemicals; Scarecrow attempts to seize control of a sector of Gotham through the manipulation of already frightened people. Gale gives us Scarecrow in his most clever state; making the reader realize that he truly is a pretty strong villain in his own right.

The end of the first volume finishes strong with a pretty cool reveal. I’m glad I have the 2nd volume already on deck!